Silver Entrepreneur’s Case Study

The case study describes the progress of a senior citizen during the last decade as he walks through the process of developing an innovative ideas whilst seeking and facing various support instruments on his way.

“My name is Rimis Vaitkus. This year, on September 12th, 2020, I will become 78 years old. I am a working pensioner. I have been one of the founders and a member of the board of the Latvian Inventors Association for the last twelve years. I was accepted as a member of this society of Inventors because I am the author of several patented inventions. During my work in the Association of Inventors, I participated in many international exhibitions of inventions in China, Indonesia, Germany and Russia.

One of my patented inventions, a device for converting the energy of the movement of water waves, which converts this energy into electrical energy, was awarded gold medals by the jury of various exhibitions.

Thanks to such an assessment by various international juries, today I work at the Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia as an engineer and participate in the further development of the project of this invention.

This summer, on the 11th August 2020 was a big day for me, as we did an important prototype experiment in natural conditions in the Gulf of Riga at the Mangalsala pier.

At my age, I am happy that I can take part in the development of such projects so that in the future such projects will bring people around the world more comfort in life and reduce their dependence on payment for energy sources.

If every pensioner felt that he/she, with his/her life experience and knowledge, is needed by society, he/she would definitely be happy, like me!

Here are some pictures from the experiment.”

Please tell us more about your journey as an entrepreneur seeking for financing for the de-velopment of your project!

Since I cannot rely on a regular financial income through projects funding (like university based inventors) or other regular income being an employee in some big organization, I have been very active in promoting my project in many different ways. Often I arrange a business to business meetings (b2b) with potential partners. I use opportunities that arise from being an active member of the Latvian Inventors Association. Thus I was able to present my innovative solutions in many parts of the world at the recognized international exhibitions. It makes me smile to recall even getting the first prize as the best attended booth in Germany at its’ largest new product, inventions and innovative solutions exhibition in Nuremberg – IENA. Eventually, the big meeting came within my own country, during the international exhibition MINOX 2016. This was definitely the milestone exhibition that directed my projects into absolutely new dimensions. At the MINOX 2016 exhibition I was happy to meet and make close connections with two important persons, Assoc. Prof. Janis Kleperis from Latvia and Assoc. Prof. Chien-Heng Chou from Taiwan, with whom we have been working together for the last four years and applying to many international financing and funding programs. It was not an easy start as we faced many rejected proposals from the juries. However, then we succeeded in a small university pre-incubation program and then we succeeded again in another regional pre-incubation program, and soon after we succeeded again in a new product development program with more funding available.

Participation in MINOX 2016 and funding programs “Latvia-Lithuania-Taiwan”

I met Assoc. Prof. Chien-Heng Chou from Taiwan, Vanung University, who participated in the International Seminar on “Conversion of Water Wave Motion Energy into Electrical/Pressure Energy” during the MINOX 2016 exhibition organized by the Society “CONNECT Latvia” and  Latvian Inventors Association. Prof. Chou was one of the initiators of the joint project application to apply for funding program competition: MUTUAL FUNDS “TAIWAN – LATVIA – LITHUANIA” COOPERATION PROJECT APPLICATION. We started the first attempts for our participation in this competition with Dr. Nerius Blažauskas of Klaipėda University in Lithuania, Dr. Janis Kleperis of the Institute of Solid State Physics of the University of Latvia together with Elmars Baltins from Society “CONNECT Latvia” and Assoc. Prof. Chien-Heng Chou from Taiwan. And we did it for three consecutive years in the period from 2018-2020. We failed to succeed every time for three years in a row.

Please tell us about your perseverance in searching for other programs!

It was the continuous inspiration from my colleagues – Prof. Chien-Heng Chou, Elmars Baltins and Dr. Janis Kleperis, and the wider team and the passion about our common dream to make water waves energy possible. My colleagues’ experience and knowledge about different funding programs helped to identify various programs to apply. Dr. Janis Kleperis also showed great interest in my ideas and tried to convince the management of his Institute of Solid-State Physics of the University of Latvia to look for funding opportunities for my (to make it clear – I do not call it anymore “my” – it is ours, our team’s project) project.

Tell us about your first success by winning in a funding program “Greenhouse”? How did it come about?

Working on another project of my invention “flexible road and square pavement RUBBRU” together with the Institute of Solid State Physics of the University of Latvia and Society “CONNECT Latvia”, we participated in a 48 hours hackathon organized by the Institute of Solid State Physics, where we met one of the hackathon participants – entrepreneur Imants. He was the man who gave our “RUBBRU” team a reference to a completely new project funding program "Greenhouse", which is a university run pre-incubation and incubation program.

I would like to notice that one of my colleagues reminded me of this “Greenhouse” program for several times and also on the day before the deadline that we should apply for a project! Elmars Baltins helped to prepare the application for the competition, we submitted it to the jury, and we were awarded a "Greenhouse" Grant in the amount of 2500,- EUR. This was really the first success that has also spurred up Dr. Janis Kleperis trust in our joint efforts. We used these funds to purchase a large, hydraulic press, to create moulds for the element of the lower layer of flexible pavement, we established Limited Company “RUBBRU” together with colleagues from the Institute of Solid State Physics of the University of Latvia, as well as purchased the necessary tools and accessories for further project development.

Almost simultaneously one of our colleagues, Eng. Vladimirs Nemcevs, now the elected Chairman of our Company Ltd “RUBBRU”, came up with an initiative to apply for the pre-incubation program at the regional incubator in Madona which is run by the Latvian Investment and Development Agency. And we succeeded again. There was no cash support available, but the recognition of our efforts and project was likewise important for us to strengthen our self-confidence. Eng. Vladimirs Nemcevs took part in the business study program of the pre-incubation and participated at the master classes to refine and learn key business development aspects.

Meanwhile, Dr. Janis Kleperis prepared another application for funding for the project “RUBBRU” in the Latvian Investment and Development funding program. It was rejected.

Tell us about "admission" (without an employment contract) to the Institute of Solid-State Physics of the University of Latvia? How did "friendship" and "trust" developed?

After the MINOX 2016 exhibition we started with a meetings on a bi-weekly basis at the premises of the Institute of Solid State Physics. Slowly our team expanded to include few more members of Dr. Janis Kleperis closest colleagues. I believe that we have brought in a fresh energy, passion and dreams to the somewhat routine project work of the Institute. We started with practical, physical making of models and prototypes, on a bootstrapping mode, using our own money and handwork. This has created a mutual trust among our team members and even not being an employee of the Institute I spent quite a lot of hours in a workshop of the Institute and also working at home to build real models of our inventions. So after half a year or so I was able to work in the premises of the Institute of Solid State Physics of the University of Latvia though not being employed at the time.

How did the work and team evolved?

Once being “unofficially” admitted to the Institute of Solid State Physics, I helped and collaborated with one of the colleagues of Dr. Janis Kleperis, an electrical engineer Mr. Vladimirs Nemcevs on the development of his hydraulic ram project. We created a small model for a new hydraulic ram at the laboratory premises in the Institute of Solid State Physics, where we could perform scientific experiments.

Working on the hydraulic ram of Vladimirs Nemcevs, we got introduced with Prof. A. Pasilis from Lithuania, Klaipeda University, during the MINOX 2018 exhibition, in a scientific seminar on magnetic blocks. Such an opportunity was provided at the exhibition by Elmars Baltins (one of the organizers of the exhibition), who suggested to organize a seminar for the participants of the exhibition about Prof. A. Pasilis “Use of magnet blocks in a linear electric generator”. Together with Eng. Vladimirs Nemcevs we tried to use the principle of the patented invention, proposed by Prof. Pasilis, in our new invention “Magnetic accelerator WILEG”. Thus another new potentially impact project was born. And our team is becoming even more solid and joined together.

Finally a larger success came after the project application (on behalf of the Institute of Solid-State Physics of the University of Latvia) in the funding program of Latvian Investment and Development Agency (LIDA) for new product development was approved and subsequently you were officially admitted and employed by the Institute of Solid State Physics!

Yes, while me and Eng. Vladimirs Nemcevs and other colleagues were working with “hands” in building models and prototypes, the head of the unit at the Institute Dr. Janis Kleperis con-tinued to search for funding opportunities of some of our projects. Eventually, after several rejections, Dr. Janis Kleperis informed the members of our team about the allocation of fund-ing from LIDA for the project "Water wave movements for energy conversion into electrici-ty". Then the management of the Institute of Solid State Physics of the University of Latvia decided to hire me at the Institute as an engineer with a small monthly salary for the 6-month financing period of this project.

What about the future plans, perhaps you can also outline your thoughts on funding programs!

At present, many funding programs have appeared both in Latvian Investment and Develop-ment Agency and in various incubators. The OSIRIS program, where I was invited to be in-volved as a senior and as an entrepreneur, thanks to my close connections with the Society “CONNECT Latvia”, may also come up with a funding program where anyone could simply write a project application with a good idea of improving the quality of life of seniors. The money allocated to this project is good, but it is worth thinking that we can save a small part of these funds for the creation of “road” map for national seniors' fund. In example, me, per-sonally, I could put 10 euros into this fund every month from my earned salary. If the other participants in this project would do the same, a decent amount will be put together during the year, which then can be spent on a real project for seniors good.

Written and edited by R. Vaitkus, V. Obuka, E. Baltins – CONNECT Latvia team in the OSIRIS Project

Riga, 9th September 2020

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